Madhuku’s NCA says backing Mliswa

via Madhuku’s NCA says backing Mliswa – New Zimbabwe 02/05/2015

LOVEMORE Madhuku’s NCA has fielded candidates in nine of the forthcoming 16 by-elections but has deliberately decided to spare former Zanu PF MP for Hurungwe West, Themba Mliswa.

This, according to the University of Zimbabwe law professor, was despite there being an NCA member who was ready to challenge for the seat which fell vacant after Mliswa was expelled from Zanu PF.

“There were a lot of unjustifiables here. His expulsion from Zanu PF had all the trappings of a dictatorship. So we wanted him to deal with Zanu PF,” Madhuku said.

Madhuku was Mliswa’s lawyer when the former Zanu PF Mashonaland West chair was thrown out of the party over a slew of alleged offences which he was never summoned to defend himself against.

Because of the sensitivity of the case, coupled with threats by President Mugabe to deal with court judges who rule in favour of Mliswa and his uncle Didymus Mutasa, another expelled party MP, Madhuku stepped in to stand for Mliswa.

But Madhuku denied he had struck a pact with the embattled former fitness trainer not to gun for his seat.

“I was just a lawyer. I was not being paid for that job. It was just a process of just dealing with the rules of fairness,” said Madhuku.

“How can a party just fire a person and inform him of that firing via television? And you are not even given an opportunity to respond.”

Speaking over the NCA’s decision to contest more by-elections even after the overwhelming defeat handed to the fledgling party in previous mini-polls, Madhuku reiterated earlier statements that they were using the by-elections as a party building exercise.

He added: “There is no beating. The results of those by-elections are not bad for us.

“We are a new party. What we are seeking to get from those by-elections are new members.

“What is happening is that those people that we make as candidates in those areas and given the campaign team around them, will then constitute the nucleus of our party in the area. Without the by-elections there is no easy mechanism in those areas.

“We actually are hoping that there would be more by elections in 2018 because wherever there is a by-election in that area, we know we will leave with a structure there.”

The firebrand former activist for a new constitution said he will be his party’s presidential candidate in the 2018 elections.

“I am going to be a presidential candidate in 2018; that is as definite as anything that you consider definite. There would be Professor Madhuku on the ballot paper. Nothing will stand in the way of that,” he said.